Submitted by
fyslice
a Weekend Warrior
from Manila, Philippines Date Reviewed: September 22, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Sta. Rosa-Tagaytay
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$950.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Fantastic design, lightweight, great handling, very reliable, parts that came in stock are already enough for me to stick with it.
Weaknesses:
brakes. Shimano deore mis shifts every once in awhile and needs a tune up every now and then.
Similar Products Used:
no other bike so far. it's my first mountain bike. Borrowed a GT hardtail for my first ride.
Bike Setup:
stock. Nothing changed....yet.
Bottom Line:
Again, the fantastic design. This bike is fun to ride. i do mostly off road, single tracks and it is very, very reliable. Uphills are quite easy to contend with and the suspensions are awesome considering that it is their entry level FS mountain bike, making comfort an important factor for the chili's i placed.
I love this bike. it's solid, strong and it has not let me down.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Joose
a Cross Country Rider
from Iron Mountain, MI, United states Date Reviewed: June 4, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Fumee Lake
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
Quick Stop Bike Shop
Strengths:
Awesome frame design, Light weight, super strong, best bang for the buck full sussy out there
Weaknesses:
Have to agree with the brakes, garbage. wheels
Similar Products Used:
Nothing
Bike Setup:
Completely stock
Bottom Line:
The bottom line on the Kona four is that its a total blast to ride. I ride primarily xc and single track. It handles amazingly on the rocky single tracks around here (upper Michigan), and takes smoothish descents excellently, not to mention it climbs super smooth and takes the steeps pretty easy. After my first 2 rides my front tire is already off center, going to have to take it to the shop to get that honed in, i don't know if that was from the rides, or if the wheel just wasn't perfect from the shop.
If you are looking for a full suspension machine at an awesome price, with decent components and want a guaranteed need for fun and speed, this is a ride for you! If you are wanting a bike that can handle the big rough stuff and drops, i wouldnt suggest this to you.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Poulsbo, WA Date Reviewed: May 25, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
Cycle Therapy, Kent
Strengths:
Excellent frame design. Light weight but beefy where it counts. Fantastic starting platform for a good XC sussy.
Weaknesses:
Brake levers are garbage. M4 disc brakes are OK, better than V-Brakes, but pretty low end on the disc market.
Similar Products Used:
GT Timberline HT, Trek Y-5 FS, Trek 7000ZX HT
Bike Setup:
All stock except for inline comments below.
Bottom Line:
Build impression: Frame is a great design, butted tubes are an interesting hexagon shape. Only 2 round tubes on the whole thing, on the seat tue and the chain stay. The bike is not too heavy for a sussy (under 30 lbs with trail kit and should make a great XC ride. Welds are superb.
Brakes: The Avid brake levers are garbage. No adjustability other than lever stops. I ditched them for a set of Avid 2.0s I had on my hard tail. Changed the hayes M4s from On/Off to having some modulation. Ditched the front hayes for an Avid BB from my hard tail. Much smoother operation. These are around $60 now, so I will probably pick one up for the rear as well.
Seat: Seat is pretty damned good for a stocker. WTB with stitched panels and a decent cutout. Its also not too tall, so getting off of the saddle for steep stuff should be no problem.
Drive train: Coming from my old STX-RCs the Deore shifters are a step up. I've never been a shifter snob, as long as they work, i'm happy. These are super smooth and click easily. The Deore derailure also seems to be decent if not a little noisy on some rough sections. Time will tell if it holds up to trail abuse.
Suspension: Never been a big fan of Rock Shocks but for a price point set of suspenders, these seem to be decent enough. Both shock and fork have rebound adjustments. The Dart fork also has a 90% lockout switch which will come in handy on long ascents. Setting sag on the fork is non-existant so far. I am 180 lbs and the springs are just too new and stiff to give any, even with the preload all the way out. A few good rides should soften it up enough to set it up properly though. The rear shock is an air preload and was fairly easy to setup with a shock pump. 20 minutes with the pump and a caliper and I had it dialed in at 130psi.
Wheels/Tires: Wheels are unmarked Alex's. A tad lighter than my Sun Rhino Lites (suprise). Hopefully they stand up to abuse. The bike came specd with Maxxis Ignitors. An interesting choice considering that Kona is a NW company and most of the riding up here is moist rooty forest trails with little hard pack. I swapped them out for my IRC Mythos set from my hard tail before the first ride but after loosing the front on the more open sections of Gold Creek trail, I may swap the front out for something a little more meaty.
First Ride: Took it out to Green Mountain today and hit up the Gold Creek trail. This bike is a fantastic climber. Over loose rocky sections and dirt, the back end hooked up and dug in with zero rear suspension movement except when hitting bumps or drop outs. When I was tooling around the parking lot and on a kiddie ride with the family I though that the stem might need to be longer but on the ride it felt great. The bike is plenty responsive, light enough to toss around and everything just works. Rough downhill sections were dealt with handily and it railed through the rest of it with great speed (hence the need for something more grippy in the front to avoid washout. Only my tired legs kept me from going faster.
Full suspension bikes have come a long way since I ditched my old Trek Y bike back in '98 and went back to a hard tail. Back then, sussys were heavy, handeled like crap in single track and basically had crap suspension. I've kept to the hard tail all these years because it is light, responsive and reliable (KISS). It looks like manufacturers have finally pulled their heads out of the sand and realized that not everybody wants to be a cool free ride/DH dude with a 40 pound bike and that most casual/sport riders are XC riders and don't need such over the top kit. The Four offers an amazing Scandium/Aluminium frame that keeps the weight to a minimum while still being tough enough for serious trail use. The low end components weigh a bit more than high end spec, but can cheaply be upgraded if you want to reduce the weight more. The 4 bar suspension climbs well and offers a good amount of sproing for the single track down hill that is predominant here in the Olympic peninsula of Washington. Overall, I found the basic Four to be the best value when compared to the other versions offered by Kona. The move to hydraulic disc for the next model up and slightly better drive train wasn't worth the extra $600. Beyond that, you are getting into racer territory on price/weight.
Excellent job Kona! 4 chilis because the brake levers really are crap.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
BOO
a Cross Country Rider
from Ruston, Louisiana Date Reviewed: March 25, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1080.00
Strengths:
Very light given the component class. Slick steering and the handling is great. Very agressive setup. I heard a lot about Kona and decided to give them a try - very happy with my choice. This is my first full suspension, and coming from years of riding a hardtail I'm really happy with this bike.
Weaknesses:
None so far - I got what I paid for on the components. I'll upgrade as I go along though since I have a great frame to start with now.
Similar Products Used:
Giant hardtail
Bike Setup:
Basically stock right now, but I have a Reba fork and some different cosmetic things I'll put on shortly.
Bottom Line:
Great bang for the buck. This was one of the least expensive full suspension bikes that I found, and I liked the looks and feel of this one better than the others anyway. The scandium frame is super light, so I can build from that as I go along if/when I want to upgrade. I ride mainly xc and single track, and this bike works perfectly for that. If you are going to be doing major drops and all mountain stuff, you may want to opt for the Kona Dawg. The Four is light enough to race (especially if I upgrade some components over time) and tough enough to take what I'll throw at it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
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